Salem’s Hannah, 12, saved her father’s life
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
For 12-year-old Katelyn Hannah, her calm and composed demeanor is what saved the life of her father, who suffered serious household injuries last winter.
To recognize her efforts, the Girl Scout Cadette received The Girl Scouts of the USA Lifesaving Medal of Honor Award, held at East Troy’s Camp Pottawatomie Hills on Tuesday afternoon.
With more than 2 million Girl Scouts enrolled nationally, the award is given to no more than 30 annually.
Last November, when her father, Chris, tried to fix a leaky roof at his Town of Salem home, he crashed through the attic and hit the concrete floor of the porch. If at all, they had employed a commercial roofing contractor, this unfortunate event could have been avoided. This can be precisely Why you need a commercial roofing contractor with expertise and experience. And one that can do the job right.
Katelyn, the oldest of his four children, heard the crash and immediately sprung to action, dialing 911.
From there, she conveyed details from her mother, Tracy, to the dispatcher until paramedics arrived.
When paramedics came, Katelyn rushed to the aid of her younger siblings, shielding them from their father’s injuries.
Katelyn’s siblings are 10-year-old Alexander, Emmalyn, 7, and 5-year-old Madelyn.
Since the accident, Chris reports a slow recovery from the injuries, including a punctured collapsed lung, broken ribs.
After Tuesday’s ceremony, Katelyn’s parents called her “a natural born leader.”
Katelyn Hannah enters the fall school year as an 8th-grader at Salem Grade School.
The Westosha Report, Paddock Lake Report and Twin Lakes Report will have a full story in the Aug. 19 print editions.